In Her Shadow
by Failure Turtle
Summary: Randy wants Maria, but he has a strange way of showing it. CandicexRandyxMaria.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yes, I am cranking these out as if they were my chance to go to Wrestlemania. I stayed up impeccably late to start this. I don't know, it just kind of...hit me. I finished reading a book, and then this idea stemmed from it. I hope you like it as much as I already do before even writing it.**

"So, um...How do you feel about Chris Jericho challenging you for your title?" Maria asked, holding the microphone up to Randy Orton. Although Maria was pretty tall, Randy towered over her.

Randy put on his mean heel face. "How do I feel about Jericho challenging me for my title? What kind of question is that?" Randy rolled his eyes. Maria pretended to blush and gave an embarrassed smile. "How do you think I feel about it? It's not my fault that Jericho won the Royal Rumble. I am just stuck with his decision, which pretty much sucks. It does not suck for me, however. I will thoroughly enjoy ending Jericho's career before it takes off again." Randy raised his eyebrows at Maria and then walked off.

The cameras shut off. Maria let out a stressed sigh, somewhat of relief. She hated playing the dumb card every week on television. She wasn't stupid, and they knew it. They were turning her into the poster child for all beauty and no brains. Maria reached behind her head and pulled the clips out of her hair. The deep reddish brown curls fell lightly onto her back that was showing above the back of her small shirt. She continued on her way to the locker room, unaware of the footsteps approaching her from behind. She gasped in shock when someone grabbed her wrist and turned her around.

Maria came face to face with a man's chest. She leaned back a little bit, looking up. She looked into his crystal blue eyes and stepped back when she discovered the identity of the man. Randy looked down at her, blinking a bit, but not saying a word.

"Um," Maria started to say, at a loss for words. She had no idea what to say. "Can I help you?"

Randy cocked his head to the side. He blinked once more and stared into Maria's green eyes. She stared back. Randy remained silent. Maria took in a deep breath and turned around. She barely took one step forward before Randy grabbed her wrist once more and turned her around again. Maria was surprised at how soft Randy's touch was.

"What?" Maria asked, widening her eyes. She looked down at her arm; Randy still hadn't let go of her wrist.

"You did really well in the interview," he said, his voice using the softest tone Maria had ever heard him use. A small smile spread across his lips. Maria couldn't tell if it was genuine or not.

"Oh, thank you," she replied, nearly whispering.

"Anytime," Randy said, his smile extending, but only slightly. He lifted her hand up, and his thumb caressed the inside of her wrist before he gently laid her hand back at her side. Without a last glance at her, Randy walked away. Maria watched him go, unaware that she had stopped breathing. Once she had gagged from the lack of oxygen in her system, she gasped for air. Once she was back at a normal breathing level, Maria took note of how fast her heart had been beating. She could feel it in her ears. She thought that maybe she was scared, but that wasn't it. She wasn't really scared, or at least she didn't think so.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_ Maria thought to herself. She lifted up her left hand in front of her face. That was the one Randy had touched. With her right hand, she delicately traced over where Randy's fingers had been just moments ago. She looked up and peered down the hallway, almost expecting Randy to be coming back towards her.

Instead, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped at the touch. She turned around, only to come face to face with Randy once more.

"How did you--" She was going to ask how Randy got behind her so quickly, but he cut her off.

Randy pulled her by her waist with his left arm towards her. He tucked his right hand at the point where her neck met her head. "I almost forgot something," he said. Randy bent down lower, and Maria instinctively stood up on her tiptoes, although she already added about three inches to her height due to her heels. Their lips met in a passionate kiss. It went on for about a minute. Maria was the first to break away, realizing what was going on.

"Randy, what...why?" Maria stuttered. She was confused beyond belief.

Once again, Randy didn't answer her. He gave her the same confused look as he did before. Blinking seemed to be his nervous habit. Instead of answering her, he winked and walked off.

"You know you can't just run around kissing random girls!" Maria called after him, getting heated. She stomped her foot on the ground, and the heel broke.

"What if it wasn't random?" he called back, turning around for his reply. He shrugged, turned back around, and continued on his way down the hallway. Maria groaned and bent down to take off her heels. She picked up the broken spike to see if she could glue them back together in the locker room.

While bent down, Maria felt another unnaturally soft hand touch her back. She tossed her hands up in the air, nearly knocking out whoever it was behind her with the heels. "Randy, you really--"

"Whoa, settle down, girl," Candice laughed. "Was Randy bothering you?"

"Oh, no. Did I say Randy? I meant to say candy," Maria quickly lied. She didn't want anyone to know about what had just happened. She was rather embarrassed about it.

"Oh, I suppose that makes sense since it's me," Candice giggled. "Is that my new nickname?"

"I thought it already was…"

Candice looked at Maria inquisitively. "Maria, you look flustered. Did something happen to you just now?"

Maria touched her hand to her cheek. She could feel the heat radiating from them. She knew that her face was bright red. "Um, no, Candice. Why would you think that?"

"Maria, you're my best friend. I know when something is wrong." Candice put her arm around Maria and they headed down the hallway to the locker room.

Candice left for her match against Beth Phoenix. Maria decided to take a little walk around the arena to let off some steam. All she could think about was how Randy kissed her. _I do NOT like him_, Maria thought. _Just because he randomly kissed me out of nowhere doesn't mean that I like him…Oh, fuck, I _do_ like him…_

When she got back to the locker room, Candice had returned. She was smiling a lot, as if something _really_ fantastic had just happened. "What are you so happy about?" Maria asked.

Candice grinned, showing off her perfect teeth. "Randy just asked me out."

**A/N: This story is a bit different for me…**

**Review/alert/fav**


	2. Chapter 2

"He did?" Maria gasped. She was honestly surprised. Randy had just kissed her, then turned around and asked out her best friend in the world. What was he playing at?

"Yeah! I mean, we've been flirting around for _weeks_, but I never expected him to ask me," Candice explained.

Maria sat down on the bench. "You said yes?"

Candice rolled her eyes. "No, I rejected him. Are you kidding?" She started to giggle. "I mean, he's _so_ gorgeous. I'd be an idiot if I said no."

Maria flinched at the sound of the word "idiot." She knew what it felt like to be called in idiot a few too many times, even though she definitely wasn't. Everyone just believed it because that's how she was portrayed on television. "When are you going out?"

"Tonight," Candice giggled, pulling off her top that she wore in the ring and pulling on a simple white tank top. Even with her hair all messed up and in not so fantastic clothing, Candice still looked amazing.

"Where are you going?" Maria asked, undoing the straps on her stilettos. She sighed in relief when she took them off. They really did hurt her feet and she hated wearing them.

"We're just catching a late movie, that's all. Maria, you're so tall already. You don't need to wear those," Candice pointed out as she pulled on some blue jeans. She noticed Maria rubbing the soreness out of her feet.

"It's just something that I have to do to look good."

"Please, you always look fantastic. I'm the one who looks like a fat ass in these jeans," Candice whined, checking herself out in the mirror.

Maria wanted to toss Candice right through that mirror for saying that, even though she was her best friend. She watched Candice as she got ready for her date with Randy. Every move that Candice made pulled a twinge of jealousy out of Maria. It wasn't until just now that Maria had noticed that everything Candice did was perfect. There wasn't a damn thing wrong with that woman. Maria wanted to hate her so badly, but she couldn't. They were best friends.

"Don't worry, 'Ria. When I come back to our room tonight, I will tell you every single little detail of the date," Candice said, hugging Maria before leaving.

"I can't wait. Have fun," Maria replied, smiling at her friend.

_Later that night_

Maria was being lazy in the hotel room, anxiously waiting for the return of Candice. She wanted to know how the date went, but she really wanted to know if Randy liked Candice.

Maria's cell phone vibrated in the pocket of her sweatshirt. She had just received a text message from Candice.

_Have you ever heard of "Hitman?"_

_What, the video game?_

_No, the movie silly_

_Yeah, it's based off of the video game_

_Would I like that movie?_

_Probably not. It's about killing people and stuff_

_Oh, then it's perfect_

_Why? You hate stuff like that_

_Because then I can be scared and get closer to Randy ; )_

Maria nearly gagged at that remark by Candice. She didn't respond to that last message. Instead, she flipped her phone shut and put it back into her pocket. She decided that she didn't feel like waiting up for Candice any longer. By the look of it, she wouldn't like what Candice had to say, anyways. Maria turned on the television, buried herself under the covers of her bed, and fell asleep.

She was shaken awake by Candice a few hours later. "What?" Maria groggily asked.

Candice grinned down at Maria. "Look," she said, brandishing a bouquet of roses in Maria's face.

"Clearly, Randy isn't much of a thinking man," Maria sneered, still half asleep. "What are you going to do with those? We leave tomorrow."

Candice sighed, sniffing the flowers. "I suppose you're right, but we can still keep them in here for tonight." She walked over to the coffee machine and pulled out an ice container. She went into the bathroom and filled it up with water. She returned into the main room and placed the container on the table in between their beds and placed the red roses inside.

"Are you official?" 

"Official? Oh, heavens no," Candice smiled. "Soon, though, I think."

Candice got into her pajamas and turned off the light.

"Maria?"

"Hm?"

"Can you make me a promise?"

"Sure."

"Let's promise that no matter what happens between Randy and I, we'll still be each other's number one."

Maria didn't answer for a while.

"Maria, did you hear me?"

"Sure thing, Candice. I promise."

**A/N: Yay, I updated it.**

**Review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I can finally be in a good mood now that RAW is on. It's the only thing that I look forward to in the week.**

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my guest tonight: Jeff Hardy," Maria giggled. They were always playing that she liked him in the storylines. She and Jeff were actually quite good friends. She didn't mind. _I wish they'd put me in a storyline with Randy_, she thought as Jeff walked up to her.

"Hello, Maria. How are you doing tonight?"

"I'm fine, Jeff. Now, I'm supposed to ask you something…"

Jeff smiled at her. "Maria, darling, you're supposed to ask me about my Intercontinental Championship match against Carlito tonight."

"Oh, yeah," she giggled. "How do you feel about that?"

"I feel fine about it, actually. I've beaten Carlito countless times tonight. The fact that it's a ladder match just makes it all the more easier for me."

Someone walked up next to Maria and Jeff glared at him. Maria turned to see who it was. She looked up to see Randy looking back down at her.

"Randy, get out of here," Jeff demanded.

"Whoa, calm down, pretty boy," Randy smirked.

"Orton, I don't think you have any right to call someone a pretty boy."

"Settle down, Skittle hair. I'm just here to send you a message."

"And that would be?"

Maria's neck was getting tired from looking back and forth between the boys. Her arm was getting sore from flinging the microphone back and forth between them. Her eyes got wide. She had no idea that any of this was supposed to happen.

"Your little Intercontinental Championship defense against Carlito has been cancelled. Instead, you're in a match against me."

"Really, Randy? Well, it just looks like my night has gotten a whole lot easier."

"Don't be so sure, Jeff. You see, it also just happens to be an inter-gender match. I've picked a Diva that could beat the crap out of any other Diva here, so good luck finding a partner."

"Really? Who did you pick?"

Randy grinned. "Melina."

"_That's_ who you picked? That's ridiculous. It's going to be so easy for me to find a partner."

"Then find one."

"Okay, I will." Jeff turned to Maria and asked, "Maria, would you care to be my partner tonight?" He held his hand out to her.

Maria smiled. "I'd love to." She placed her hand in his and they walked off, leaving Randy alone.

Maria went back to the locker room to get ready since she had a match to compete in. Candice wasn't there. Normally, she would talk to Candice before her matches to settle herself down. This time, she was _glad_ that Candice wasn't around. She didn't want to think of the possible relationship between her and Randy while she was out in the ring.

Who was she kidding? She knew that was _all_ she would be thinking of in the ring.

She wore her typical black pants. She pulled on a sparkly pink bikini top and over that she wore a pink and white cutoff hoodie. She rushed down to the gorilla position because she was running late. **(A/N: THEY SHOWED CODY FOR LIKE TWO SECONDS!)**

She skidded when she saw Jeff. Maria almost passed him up. Randy and Melina were already in the ring, waiting for their opponents. The pair went out to Jeff's music. Maria attempted the Jeff Hardy dance, but it didn't come out very well.

Maria and Melina started off the match. Melina dominated, which was to be expected. Maria knew that she wasn't over with the fans as a good wrestler. She was fine with that, just as long as they didn't hate her. Melina grabbed the ropes and stepped on Maria's neck. She broke when the referee counted to four. Maria lay there and sold that she couldn't breathe.

That's when Melina went in and tagged in Randy.

It was an inter-gender match, so Jeff wasn't allowed to come in until Maria tagged him. Randy picked her up, and she started shaking, afraid that he was going to hit her.

Instead, he brushed the hair out of her eyes. His hand cupped her cheek and Randy noticed that Maria's lips were trembling.

On the apron, Jeff had a confused look on his face. Melina was gagging to herself.

Maria's eyes widened. They stared into Randy's baby blue ones. She was hoping, _praying_, that this was real and not just a storyline. She wanted this more than anything.

Randy bent down and kissed her.

Maria kissed back. She had totally forgotten that she was supposed to despise Randy. The kiss was broken once Jeff got in the ring and knocked Randy away. Jeff and Randy rolled out of the ring, punching each other. Maria was blindsided by Melina, and they started beating each other senseless.

Jeff got away from Randy and helped Maria get away from Melina. He helped her out to the back.

"Jeff, do you have any idea what that was about?"

Jeff shrugged. "I suppose they're sticking us all in a love triangle or something. Anyways, I have to go…" he said, and then he walked away.

Randy passed her. "Randy, can I talk to you for a moment?"

He winked at her and smiled. "What's up?"

Maria stopped breathing for a moment when she looked in Randy's eyes. "Um…Is…um, is Candice going to be okay with this?"

He laughed. "Of course she is. This is just storyline after all." He continued to grin.

"Randy, would you quit that! Do you even like Candice?"

Randy's grin quickly disappeared. "Of course I like her. Why would you think otherwise?"

"Because…"

Maria never got to finish what she was going to say. That was because Randy pulled her close right away and kissed her once again.

When they broke apart, Maria just stared at him. She was confused now more than she had ever been in her whole life.

"Randy, what are you doing?"

Randy chuckled and said, "Don't you get it?"

**A/N: I am shaking. I cannot breathe. I am just so…FUCKING HAPPY!**

**CODY IS A MOTHER FUCKING TAG TEAM CHAMPION!**

**I still fucking hate Hardcore Holly, though.**

**During my celebration, my mom said this: "FINE! JUMP AROUND ALL YOU WANT BUT IF I HAVE TO HEAR YOU SCREAM OVER MY TELEVISION EVERY SINGLE TIME THAT CODY IS ON I SWEAR TO GOD THAT I WILL DISCONNECT THE CABLE!"**

**Good luck with that, mom.**

**CODY IS A CHAMPION!**

**Nothing can bring me down.**

**I am so fucking happy right now.**

**And Lita is on. I love her.**

**And I love you all.**

**Review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: My heart is still recovering from the loss of TCATD. I feel accomplished, yet empty. You should read that one and make me feel better. I'll warn you, it's a long one. You might want to span it out over a couple of days. Just make sure you review.**

**Oh, and in case you didn't hear…**

**CODY IS THE BETTER HALF OF THE WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS!**

"No, Randy, I really don't get it at all!" Maria yelled. She was really starting to get angry with Randy. Either he was playing her, or worse, playing her best friend. Maria would _never_ let a guy play her best friend. But this was different. Now _her_ heart was involved.

Randy took one of her hands in both of his. "I _like_ you Maria. I really do."

"Then why are you seeing Candice?" Maria demanded, stomping the ground hard with her wrestling boot.

Randy sighed and gave her that coy little smile. "I…I just wanted to get closer to you," he admitted.

Maria wasn't buying it. "Bullshit, Randy. You know better than that. Even if you are telling the truth, you're hurting two girls at once. You're hurting me by making me sit through you and Candice. You're hurting Candice by playing her."

"So, I take it that you _don't _like me then?"

"I can't say that I'm very fond of you right now."

Randy laughed. "It's my turn to call bullshit on you, Maria. If you didn't like me, you wouldn't have kissed back in the ring tonight."

"If you liked me, then you would have asked _me_ out, not Candice."

"But I like _you_!"

"Stop lying to yourself, Orton. No one would ever like me compared to Candice. And I swear, on the off chance that you_ are_ telling the truth, I will tell Candice that you're playing her." Maria turned around, but Randy pulled her back.

He smirked at her. He bent down close and whispered in her ear, "You wouldn't dare. You know this little game I've started turns you on."

Maria's jaw dropped. She slapped Randy across the cheek and stormed off.

Maria nearly broke the door down when she entered the Divas locker room. "Candice! I need to talk to you now!" she called. Candice wasn't there. Fuming, she packed all of her things. She wanted to get out of that arena so badly. She flung her duffel bag over her shoulder and headed for the door.

The locker room door opened in her face as she reached for the doorknob. Candice walked in, fresh from her match. "Oh, are you leaving now?" she asked, and Maria nodded. "Okay, I'll head out with you."

Candice quickly shoveled her things into her large backpack. Once she was set, the two Divas headed out the door to the parking lot.

Just before they hit the parking lot, one editors of WWE Magazine rushed up to them. "Oh, Candice, there you are. We need two Divas for a photo shoot right now. Are you interested?"

Giggling, Candice responded with an enthusiastic, "YES!"

"Okay, now we just need one more Diva…"

Candice turned to Maria who was standing right there next to her, hoping that the editor would take the hint.

"Um, well Maria is--"

"No! We'll go and find Mickie," he said. He signaled for Candice to follow him.

"Sorry, baby," Candice told her best friend, hugging her. "I'll see you back at the hotel, alright?"

Maria nodded once more. She figured that she was only good for…nothing. In a worse mood than she was before, she left the arena alone.

**A/N: Yeah, this is a short one. It's basically to prove that this story is called "In Her Shadow" for a reason.**

**Review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I may update this once more tonight, but I may not. I'm not sure yet. I probably won't get to anything tomorrow because…**

**I'm going to an indie show tomorrow night and…**

**I'm meeting my wrestling trainer. Seriously.**

Maria waited up for Candice. She had every intention of telling Candice about her encounter with Randy.

That is, _if_ Candice would believe her.

Candice strolled into the hotel room at about midnight. Maria had gotten back to the hotel at about nine. "Candice, where on earth were you?"

Candice nearly tripped over her own feet. "I was at that photo shoot, silly."

"Oh my god, Candice. Are you drunk?" Maria asked, even though she knew that she was correct.

"No, no, Maria. I'm just a bit tipsy."

With a disgusted sigh, Maria got off her bed and caught Candice just before she hit the ground. "I thought you were doing a photo shoot!"

"I mean, we _did_ do that photo shoot. We really did, Maria, and it was horrible because you weren't there to stop me from drinking and I think I drank too much and…" Candice was going off on one of her drunken rants again.

"CANDICE! SHUT UP!" Maria yelled.

"Maria, why are you yelling at me?" Candice asked, laughing and covering up her ears.

"Because, Candice, you are starting to get annoying!" Maria would never talk to Candice like this if she was sober. She was glad that Candice never remembered anything from when she was drunk. "Now, in a normal voice, tell me why you went out and partied after the photo shoot."

"Oh, I was getting to that. Well, you see, it was…Oh, what was it? Oh yeah, now I remember. Randy came by, and you know how I get around Randy," Candice added with an extreme giggle. "Anyways, Randy offered to take me and Mickie to the bar and stuff but Mickie said no and I'm not going to turn down a date with Randy. I mean, he _is _my boyfriend."

"WHAT?" Maria yelled once more, freaking out. She started having a panic attack.

"Maria! Maria! Are you alright?" Candice asked, fawning over Maria.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Maria gasped, finally catching her breath. _Look at me_, Maria thought. _Candice is the one who needs my help. She's my best friend and she's drunk off her ass. I am being so selfish. I am freaking out for no reason. Well, okay, there __**is**__ a reason…but I should think about the well being of Candice before anything about Randy…_

_Shit! Candice doesn't remember anything when she's drunk so…I could tell her about Randy to get it off my chest and she won't remember…but that would be wrong…_

"Candice, I have something very important to tell you right now," Maria said, sitting back down on the bed. Candice sat next to her and fell backwards.

"Let me have it."

"Randy is a jerk. You shouldn't date him. He is a liar. He is either lying to you, or he just sucks. He said that he likes me, but that is impossible since he's dating you. I don't believe him. I think he's just trying to piss me off, but why would he do that? Candice, wake up!"

Maria reached over and tried shaking Candice's leg to wake her up. Candice had fallen asleep right when Maria had started thinking.

"Candice, you are lucky that you are my best friend. You know that, right?" Maria asked the sleeping figure of Candice. Maria hopped over to her bed and fell asleep.

_The next day_

The Superstars flew out to the next city, but they had to stop at a different airport to catch a transfer plane. They had three hours to spend at the airport before their flight, so they went to the food court to get some lunch.

"Maria, if you don't mind, I think I'm going to have lunch with Randy," Candice said.

"Oh, sure, Candice. That's fine," Maria said, trying not to show her disappointment.

"Maria, you can have lunch with Kenny and me," Mickie offered, and Maria accepted. She didn't want to look like a loser having lunch by herself.

Randy bought himself and Candice some McDonald's. They sat down at a table in the corner, hidden away from most of the group.

"Poor Maria. She looks so sad," Candice noted, seeing Maria. Maria was with Mickie and Kenny, but she didn't look so happy.

"She'll be fine, Candice," Randy ensured. "Besides, doesn't she have something going on with Jeff?" he asked, trying to sound curious.

Candice's jaw dropped. "No! That sounded harsh, but no, not at all. They are just friends. I don't think that they could ever date. It would be too strange."

Randy let out a sigh of relief, but he caught himself. "Oh, well…" He took a look around at everyone. "How about…"

"John!" Candice interrupted. "It would be _so_ perfect!"

Randy rolled his eyes. "That's not _exactly_ who I was going for, but whatever you want, darling."

"How are we going to do this? I mean, John isn't the brightest guy in the world…but Maria is _really_ smart. I'm afraid that she would figure it out. We need to be sneaky."

"Don't worry, baby. I've got just the plan."

_Meanwhile_

"Maria, you've barely touched your food. Are you alright?" Mickie asked.

"Huh?" Maria snapped back into reality. She had been staring off in the distance.

"Maria, I know that we aren't best friends like you and Candice, but I can tell when something is wrong with you. What's wrong?"

Maria's eyes flashed up to Candice and Randy. She realized what she had done and then quickly averted her gaze, but it was too late. Mickie noticed.

"No, Maria! You do _not_ like Randy."

Maria could feel the blood rush to her cheeks. She couldn't deny it, but she wouldn't admit to it. It was just too bad that Mickie wasn't an idiot.

"Have you told Candice?"

Maria sheepishly nodded.

"Have you told Candice when she was sober?"

Embarrassed, Maria shook her head.

"Maria…"

"I can't help it, Mickie!" Maria said, finally speaking. "I liked him before they started dating and…" Maria told Mickie the whole story, beginning to end.

"Randy is a jerk. Date John instead. I bet he likes you," Mickie urged, looking over to John. He was sitting with Batista.

"No, I'm not like that, Mickie. I only date guys that I like. I don't like John."

"You could. What do you think, Kenny? KENNY!" Mickie reprimanded, smacking Kenny on the arm. He hadn't been paying attention to the girls' gossip. He didn't especially care for that stuff.

"You need to tell her, Maria."

"I can't."

**A/N: Originally, I was going to have Candice and Randy plotting against Maria…well, not really against her. Candice was going to know that Randy liked her and she was going to help them get together, but I changed it at the last minute. This should be more fun.**

**Review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: WOO I FINALLY HAVE A DAY OFF WORK! So, that pretty much means that I can update for you all.**

**You guys shouldn't hate Candice in this story. It's not her fault…**

"Maria, would you _please_ just go out on a date with John?" Candice pleaded, pulling on her best friend's arm like a child begging its mother for a toy.

"No, Candice! I've told you a million times that I _don't_ like John like that!" Maria insisted, pulling her arm away from Candice.

"PLEASE, Maria?"

"No," Maria said firmly, ending the conversation with her tone. She finished getting ready for whoever she had to interview. She wouldn't know until she got to the interviewing site, though. They'd tell her how to act. She knew that she'd only get like one question in, anyways.

She wore a simple yellow dress. She hadn't worn it in a while, and she wouldn't be doing anything in the ring later.

Maria skipped as best as she could down to the site. She was in stilettos, after all. The stage manager was there already. He didn't tell her who she was interviewing and told her just to wing it.

_Great_, Maria thought. _I can fuck up for myself this time._

She saw Randy coming up to her, and her eyes grew wide. She knew that she would have to interview him. _Fuck! We're in a storyline now. I almost forgot!_

The cameras turned on, and Maria put on her dumb face as if someone hit a switch inside her. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am here with the WWE Champion, Randy Orton."

"Maria, baby, how are you doing tonight?" Randy asked in his smooth demeanor.

"I'm fine," Maria giggled. She felt someone come up on the other side of her.

Jeff.

"Orton, get the hell away from Maria," Jeff said, stepping in front of her as if he was protecting her from the big bad wolf.

"So are you taking over for Cena, now? Oh, look at little Jeff! Saving the beautiful ladies from men who are better than him!"

"I just don't want you to hurt her, that's all."

"Really, Jeff? If my memory serves me correctly, Maria didn't run away when I kissed her last week."

"Let's fight it out then," Jeff offered.

Randy smirked. "Jeff, quit being so condescending to Maria's feelings. We can't decide for her. She's going to have to decide for herself."

"Okay, then Maria," Jeff said, turning to her. "Would you like to come with me, or this asshole?"

Maria's eye caught the stage manager waving his hands at her behind the camera. He was pointing to Randy and mouthing, "Go with him!"

"Um…Jeff…I'm sorry, but I think I'm going to…" Maria trailed off. She tried to look disappointed in herself as she walked off with Randy, but inside she was exploding.

The cameras cut. Randy took Maria's hand and dragged her off.

"Where are you taking me?" Maria asked with a giggle.

Randy stopped right there. "What makes you think that I'm taking _you_ anywhere? I'm dating Candice. She's your best friend. You shouldn't like _her_ boyfriend."

Maria was hurt at these words. Of course she didn't want to believe that Randy liked her. She didn't want to see Candice get hurt.

But it wasn't her fault that she liked him.

"Randy, why are you doing this to me?"

Randy grinned. "It's enjoyable."

"I hate you, Randy. I never want to speak to you again," Maria said, her eyes filling with tears. She started to turn around, but Randy wrapped his arms around her just in time.

"Where do you think you're going, missy?"

"Randy, let go of me!" Maria yelled, trying to break free. Randy was too strong for her.

"You know you like it, Maria."

Maria stopped fighting him.

"That's more like it," Randy said, letting go.

Maria kicked off her heels and picked them up. She weakly tried to smack Randy in the chest with them, but she failed.

"You're an asshole," she muttered, walking off with every intention of telling Candice what had just happened.

**A/N: Yeah, it's short but I'm tired…**

**Review. I need ideas.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I don't like this story anymore. Depending on the feedback for this chapter, the story might get deleted. I don't know.**

"Candice, wake up!" Maria yelled, shaking Candice's sleeping body. As she slid off her heels, Candice started stirring.

"What's wrong, Maria? Are you pregnant or something?" Candice groggily asked, clearly not back to her usual mind frame.

"No, it's Randy," Maria sighed, finally ready to tell Candice everything.

"Oh, speaking of boys, John wants to talk to you," Candice said, throwing Maria off.

"Why does John want to talk to me?" Maria asked as she haphazardly pulled on her pajamas.

"You'll see, darling. I'm going back to sleep now," Candice yawned, putting her head back down on the pillow.

"Candice, I'm not done talking to you!" Maria said, but it was too late. Candice had already fallen asleep the instant her head hit the pillow.

_The next day_

Maria woke up to the sound of the shower and a knock at the door. "Candice, I don't feel like getting up," Maria sleepily whined, even though she knew that Candice couldn't hear her. Maria decided to roll out of bed and answer the door even though she was still in her pajamas and her hair was a mess. When she opened the door, she wanted to slam it right in her visitor's face.

It was John Cena.

However, Maria resisted the urge to slam the door. "John, I look like shit right now," Maria said, trying to get John to go away so she could make herself beautiful before talking to him again. It wasn't that she liked John in any way more than friends. She adored Randy, even though he was a cynical asshole. John was more like a friend, but she still didn't want him to see her like that.

"You're beautiful, Maria. Look, we need to talk," John said, trying to coax her into a conversation.

"Give me some time. Let's go out to lunch," Maria suggested. "We can talk then and Candice won't be around."

"Good, because this kind of has to do with her," John revealed, glad that Candice was in the shower and out of hearing range.

_An hour later_

Maria was all set. She was wearing a light pink t-shirt with light blue jeans. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She put on just a shade of makeup before meeting John in the lobby.

They went to a not so packed Denny's across the street from the hotel. After ordering their lunch, Maria asked, "So, Mr. Cena, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Well, you see..." John trailed off. Clearly, the subject was of a heavy matter.

"Spit it out, Cena," Maria demanded.

"Do you know who my best friend is?" John asked, playing dumb, but he didn't have to try too hard to pull that one off.

"Randy," Maria said, rolling her eyes.

"Look, I love Candice just as much as the next person does, but--"

Maria held up her hand and interrupted John. "Who _doesn't_ love Candice? She's amazing, John, I know that. She's my best friend, but I'm getting a little bit sick and tired of hearing about her."

"Randy doesn't like her," John blurted out.

"I really didn't want to hear that, John," Maria said as the waitress came by with their food.

"He likes you."

"And I like him, John. It's no secret. But if what you say is true, her certainly has a stupid way of showing it."

"I know, that's why I'm trying to get him to stop being a jackass."

"Randy and jackass go together hand in hand, John. Randy Orton will never stop being a jackass."

"I think that is the most true statement that has ever been made," John smiled, and the two started laughing at how pathetic Randy was.

_Meanwhile, in Kenny's car_

"Kenny, let's go to Denny's!" Mickie suggested.

"Alright, Micks," Kenny said as he pulled into the parking lot. He got a really nice spot near the door.

"Kenny, look!" Mickie gasped, pointing at the window.

"Wow, they're on a date," Kenny noted, seeing Maria and John laughing together.

"I _knew_ it!" Mickie squealed.

**A/N: I might have just come up with some more ideas.**

**Review.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I have nothing to say.**

**Shocker. I'm serious this time.**

Mickie was being especially chipper and giddy towards Maria during RAW.

"Mickie, do you have to use the bathroom or something?" Maria asked, seeing as Mickie was smiling a lot and hopping up and down.

"Nope," Mickie grinned.

"Then why are you jumping around like the fucking Easter Bunny?"

"I _told_ you that you liked John."

Maria's head snapped back to look at Mickie. "What?"

"Well…"

"Spill it, James."

Mickie thought about it for a moment, and then decided to explain. "Kenny and I were going to go to Denny's, and we pulled up to the window and saw--"

"You saw us?" Maria asked, realizing what Mickie was so excited about seeing. Her face turned red, and Mickie took it the wrong way, as Maria expected.

"Oooh! He _so_ is your boyfriend! I knew it! I _knew_ that you liked him!" Mickie squealed.

"Mickie, don't you have a match to get ready for?" Maria asked as her face grew even hotter, trying to distract Mickie.

"No," Mickie frowned. "You're thinking of Candice."

"Yeah, just like everyone else…" Maria whispered.

"What did you say?"

"Oh, nothing," Maria said, completely disregarding her comment. "So, anyways, what's up?"

"Don't you get off the subject, little lady. Is John your boyfriend or not?"

_Mission failed_, Maria thought to herself before answering. "No, Mickie, he is not."

"Liar."

"Truth."

"Lie."

"Truth."

"Fine. Truth or dare?" Mickie asked, determined to find out the truth from Maria, even though she had already given it to her many times.

"Truth."

"Ugh! Fine. Is John your boyfriend?"

"No."

"Fuck! Maria…"

"I _told_ you, Mickie. John and I are just friends."

"Then what did me and Kenny see at Denny's?"

"You saw two friends out for some breakfast, enjoying each other's company."

"Whatever," Mickie said, standing up from the bench they had been sitting on. "You know, I still can't believe that you like _Randy_. John could totally help you get over him."

Maria looked up at Mickie. _Finally, the damn girl says something useful_.

After RAW had ended, Mickie searched the halls for John. She found him talking to…

Candice.

"Maria! I haven't talked to you in _forever_!" Candice shrieked as she saw her best friend approach her.

"Candice, I talked to you this morning," Maria laughed, hugging Candice. Maria really didn't want to say what she had to say in front of Candice. Luckily for Maria, Randy came up to them. For once, she was happy to see him.

"Candice, baby, let's go," he said, putting his arm around her shoulders.

Candice giggled, "Maria, I don't know if I'll be back at the hotel tonight."

After Candice and Randy walked away, Maria let out a disgusted huff. "Ugh! I _hate_ her!"

"No, Maria, you don't," John sighed.

"I know. Who _could_ hate her? She's fucking perfect!"

"No, she's not, and you know that. Getting off the subject of Candice, I take it that you were coming over here to see me, right?"

"Well, we're about to get back on that subject just as quickly as we got off of it. And yes, I was here to see you."

"What about?"

"Mickie still thinks that we might be an item."

"That's ridiculous. Doesn't she know that you like Randy?"

"Yeah! Everyone does…except for Candice, and that's my biggest problem. Look, I was wondering…"

"Uh-oh."

"No, it might not be as bad as you think. I was wondering if you and Randy can make each other jealous."

John pursed his lips in thought. "No, not really. I mean, I think that I _could_ get him jealous if I really wanted to but--"

"Pretend to be my boyfriend," Maria blurted out.

"I can't do that!" John contradicted.

"Why not?"

"Because he likes you, and you know it. You like him, and he knows it."

"Yeah, but maybe he'll think that I got over him or something and I've moved on from his pathetic little games."

"Maria…"

"Please?"

John rolled his eyes, but finally agreed. "Yeah, I'll do it. But I'll have you know that I wouldn't do this for anyone else."

"Really?"

"Yes, and you better realize that before I change my mind."

"Thank you!" Maria squealed and giving John a tight hug.

"Who are you going to 'tell' first?"

"Mickie."

"What about Randy? Candice?"

"Psh, Randy will know when he sees. He'll…yeah. And Candice? Well…I don't know about her either."

Happy with her devious plot, Maria skipped back down to the Divas locker room. "Why are you so happy?" Mickie asked.

"I have a new boyfriend."

"John?"

"Yep."

"I told you, Maria. I fucking told you."

"I know."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: No, I'm not running out of ideas. Never said that I have. I just don't like the story that much anymore and I just have other stuff to worry about at the moment. The flashback chunk is in italics.**

When Maria returned to her hotel room late that night, she was greeted with the angry form of Candice Michelle sprawled across her bed. "Maria, I cannot believe you," she whispered into the darkness of the room.

Maria slowly closed the door behind her. "What are you talking about?" In truth, Maria really didn't know why Candice would be upset with her. Unless…

Unless Mickie told Candice that she liked Randy.

_Shit._ "Candice, what exactly did Mickie tell you?"

"She told me that you're dating John," Candice revealed, sitting up on the bed.

"Is that a bad thing?" Maria wondered out loud, keeping in the sigh of relief that was hiding inside of her, knowing that Candice had no idea about the whole Randy scenario.

"YES!" Candice yelled, storming up off of the bed and turning the lights on.

"How is that bad?"

"Um…because _you_ didn't tell me! I can't believe that I had to hear it from Mickie! You're my best friend, Maria," Candice said with a hurt expression on her face.

Quick to come up with an explanation to somehow turn this all on Candice, Maria said, "But you ran off with Randy. It happened after you left. Besides, you were the one who said that you wouldn't even be here tonight."

"You should have called me the instant it happened, Maria!" Candice whined. "We're best friends! I told you when Randy asked me out."

_And I still can't believe that they make _**me**_ play the dumb one on television_. "It was late. I wanted to get back here."

"Maria, that was six hours ago! It's damn near two in the morning right now! Where on earth were you?"

_

* * *

Earlier that night_

"_I tooooollllllld you," Mickie kept chanting in a singsong voice. Suddenly, she stopped. "Wait."_

"_What?"_

"_What about Randy?"_

"_What about him? He has Candice."_

"_Maria, you can't do this to John! You're using him."_

"_Mickie, you __**cannot**__ tell Candice about this."_

"_I won't, but John…"_

"_That's exactly it! John is in on the whole thing. Really, I promise you. Look, if you talk to Candice before I do, go ahead and tell her that I'm with John. I don't care. It's one less thing that I have to do. But please, Mickie, do not under any circumstance tell Candice about this."_

_Mickie sighed. "I won't."_

_Twenty minutes later_

_John and Maria were driving around, talking about their little predicament. Or rather, Maria's predicament in which John was just an innocent bystander who had been dragged like a swimmer caught in a riptide._

"_You know, Randy is my best friend."_

"_You know, Candice is my best friend. I'm not an idiot, Cena."_

"_I know, but bros before hoes."_

"_And chicks before dicks. Yet, here we are."_

"_You've weaved quite a tangled web here, Miss Muffet."_

"_Well, let's just hope that we don't get caught in it like little flies."_

"_You know that things like this always blow up in people's faces."_

"_I know. Isn't that…Randy's car?"_

"_Yeah, it is. That's strange. He left with Candice, right?"_

"_Yeah. The sad thing is, this is totally her scene."_

_They had spotted Randy's car parked in front of a local strip club. "John?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Let's go."_

"_You want to spy?"_

"_Let's not call it spying. Let's call it…investigating. If Randy wants to play this little game with me, then I'll play my own."_

"_I think I'm going to enjoy the more devious side of you, Maria," John grinned, pulling into the parking lot of the strip club._

_While John was in awe of the place, Maria was shooting daggers at Candice. Maria had skillfully picked an open table in a dark corner, close enough to spy but far enough away where Randy and Candice wouldn't notice. Her eyes rarely left the couple. Actually, Candice seemed to enjoy the place more than Randy was. He looked bored and kept checking his watch every couple of minutes. After a couple of hours, Randy and Candice left. Maria waited half an hour before calling John over to leave so that Candice would be back at the hotel before she was._

* * *

Maria shrugged and walked over to her bed, tossing her Prada wristlet on the red covers. "Out with John. 


End file.
